Starting a new career can be daunting, so it is great to have insights from experts to weigh in on how best to get started and explain the ups and downs of an industry. Best of all, they can also bring a personal perspective to the table that you might be more likely to relate to, feel confident about beginning a new path, and understand whether you would be a good fit for specific types of work.
Whether you want to learn about coding, developing websites, or programming languages, there are many job opportunities that can become accessible to you in the Programming field. This rewarding career is set to grow as technology continues to intertwine with our daily tasks.
We spoke to Sybrin Developers, Prince Mavuso and Tanya Cummins about some of their personal experiences in the industry:
Tanya Cummins
Software Developer
Prince Mavuso
Software Developer
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When I had to choose subjects in grade 10, I was set on becoming an accountant. I chose IT as a subject to have something different, and it immediately grabbed my attention. I then decided to go study further in this field, and I’ve never looked back.
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I got started in the industry because of the continuous learning opportunities and growth provided in this division, including the ability to create systems that will enhance business processing in general.
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Everything is fast-paced and fast-changing, there’s always newer things and different ways of doing something. There are multiple solutions to a single problem, and choosing the best and most practical solution can be challenging. Your working hours are also very flexible, and it takes strict self-control to balance between work and everyday life.
I believe challenges are a part of life and from each one you have a choice to learn from them. The challenges I have come across as a developer/programmer are many, but I’ll list a few:
- Test environment duplication
- Adapting the latest market trends
- Design influences
- Quality assurance
- Development expectations and outcome
- Undefined quality standards
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Mostly, yes. I do try to have hobbies away from the screen, and force myself to take a break to allow my mind to switch off.
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Not all the time, but most of the time 😊
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Perseverance. Willingness to take on new challenges and to get out of your comfort zone. Try not to get lost in the entirety of a big project, rather focus on all the smaller steps needed and celebrate the victories while keeping your eye on the big picture.
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Personally, for me it’s to live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. But what I would say is try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.
The key is to not only to add value to yourself, but to add value to the people around you.
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We are facing a digital future. Doing online shopping and banking, working remotely, advanced technology, and much more. This opens a whole new world for developers to get involved in. I also think the future success of businesses, and especially small companies, is directly linked to their digital presence and willingness to adapt to using modern technology.
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There is a lot of room to grow in this division, both in your career and personally. With regards to the future, there are two main predictions for the future: it’s either appealing or appalling. An appealing future is created by people who identify their real values in life and believe in what they can do.
Whether you want to know more about what programming looks like as a career, or you’re simply not sure what it is your colleagues/friends are up to, hopefully this Q&A shed some light on the topic/matter.
Visit www.sybrin.com/careers and see what opportunities lie in this exciting field.
Have a look at what is happening in the industry at our insights section and read all about our events, blogs, case studies, and trending news.